Thank You for the Poison
by StardustRose22
Summary: A year after becoming Fire Lord, Zuko still has a lot to worry about. When poison is mysteriously slipped into his drink, it raises one question- who would want him dead? Post-series, Maiko, two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hell-o everyone! I have another story for you guys! I know that this is different from _The Promise _but I don't think it technically qualifies as an AU. A Zuko x Mai story- I know a lot of people are die-hard Zutara fans, but I find it really hard to ship couples that aren't canon. (fun fact: originally, Zuko and Katara WERE going to be canon!) I'll have a story for Zutarians soon! Oh, I recently got my aquarium set up, and I named all my fish after Avatar characters. I swear that tank is like its own soap opera. Anyway, on with the story!

Zuko never really liked meetings anyway.

At least, that's what he tried to tell himself, but even a year after his coronation, he still couldn't believe that he was actually the Fire Lord. He still got a little giddy inside when someone addressed him as so, even when Sokka was just poking fun at him.

He even paid complete attention during this particular meeting. He could tell that Aang, Katara, and the rest of his friends were beyond bored and just hoped it would end soon.

Zuko was completely engrossed, however. It wasn't because he felt like he was the best Fire Lord ever- no, it was the complete opposite. He was afraid of _not _being the best Fire Lord ever. His people were counting on him to make a difference in their lives, to pull their country back out of the brimstone of Hell, so it could finally find its original source of power of the sunshine.

So Zuko took every opportunity to show that this eighteen-year-old ruler could do the job, even if it meant making personal sacrifices.

That meant sleep, not happiness. He was as happy as could be. Sokka and Aang treated him like their brother, Katara like the way she treated everyone else in their rag-tag family. Toph still gave him a playful elbow in the ribs, and his uncle embraced him tighter and tighter every week he went for tea.

Mai was constant, too. She was outside right now- she always was. She always waited for him after every meeting like it was her personal job to oversee him, like a guardian. Maybe she was- she had taken the responsibility of being the Fire Lord's girlfriend without complaint, even with the occasional smile- of course Zuko was the only one to catch it. She only smiled when he was around.

Her smile was beautiful. It was because it meant that everything in the world really was okay. Mai wouldn't smile unless there was a really good reason too- and she had been smiling more and more lately. Maybe the effects of a one hundred year war were finally coming to an end.

Or so he hoped.

Every time his mind drifted to his father, not dead but locked up, he didn't know what to think. He still couldn't decide if he wished his dad was dead, even after a year. It wasn't that he wanted him dead, particularly. It was whether it was a good idea to keep him alive. As long as he was, he could break free like Uncle had, and wreak havoc on the world again.

He respected Aang's decision to keep him alive, and was proud of him for finding a way to end the war without more violence. Maybe the Avatar's judgment was best?

Zuko decided on this, as it was really the only thing he could do. He wasn't going to kill his own father, and he certainly wasn't going to make someone else do it.

The meeting ended without any real change. It was almost as if they never got anything done, but he enjoyed them anyway. At least they were _trying._

Mai smiled and embraced him as Sokka leaned on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "Those things just keeping getting more boring, don't they?"

Zuko cracked a smile as Aang and Toph giggled. "You can say that again, Boomerang Boy."

"We should have a party after each one of those meetings. So we can recover." Katara joked along. Mai suddenly then said- "Why don't we? We certainly have the room at the palace."

She glanced at Zuko. Mai wanted to have some fun, and it was wonderful. Everything about the way she looked at him, finally with a gleam in her eye was wonderful.

"Yeah, why not? We can open the gates and anyone who wants to come can. You guys can invite some of your friends from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe to come, too."

Aang's eyes lit up. "I can go and pick them up on Appa! This is going to be great!"

So they sent out multiple Fire Nation messenger hawks to various locations, inviting people for the "Fire Nation Flaming Festival of Fun," as Sokka had dubbed it.

When they woke up the morning of the party, the palace was already decorated. Paper lanterns in various colors hung from the ceiling, a large paper dragon among them. Candles floated around the room on various tables. The staircase descending to the ballroom sparkled like glass or crystal.

Even though he had lived at the palace almost all his life, Zuko couldn't remember a time when the ballroom itself ever looked this…happy. He doesn't even think it was ever even used back when his grandfather and father were the Fire Lords.

He really was changing the world. Guests trickled in as Aang and his friends brought people from their travels and their homes. Various Earth Kings and Water Tribe chiefs were there, and though they greeted each other with diplomatic bows and talk, it soon gave way to a more open relationship. Hakoda of the Water Tribe had even hugged the young Fire Lord, with his children teasing him.

When the gates opened, so many people flooded in. It was high time they had something to enjoy- Aang had complained that when he attended a Fire Nation school, the kids weren't even allowed to dance off school grounds. Zuko had changed that, and hoping this party was going to drive that point home. Aang even said that he had seen and talked to some of the students he had become friends with, and even made up with the one who tried to get him in trouble so many times.

Zuko and Mai made their way around the room, arm in arm. They ran into a lot of people that had been invited by Aang and everyone. Of course, they had friends from all over the world. He had ran into Toph's parents, Haru and the other earthbenders from the invasion, both Northern and Southern Water Tribe soldiers, earthbending fighters, and even swamp benders, who were thankfully wearing pants.

They gave smiles that were never faked. For once, Zuko and Mai were legitimately _happy. _

Nobody noticed a familiar, hooded figure slip into the room.

They all say down and enjoyed a Fire Nation feast, meats hand-picked by the expert Sokka himself. Zuko and Aang thanked everyone for being there. They were both grateful to have one another for these kinds of things- they had each others' backs.

Nobody noticed the odorless, colorless poison in the young Fire Lord's drink.

Sokka joked that Zuko was the one who didn't put any vegetarian options out for Aang, which earned him a playful punch from Toph, and Katara saying that her brother should know better. Zuko called for the cooks to make what Aang requested.

Nobody warned him when he took a sip from his glass.

It took forever for the cooks to finish the elaborate custard Aang wanted, but they did it with a smile. It was something people all around the world had grown used to these days- the Avatar and the Fire Lord had brought fun and happiness to a world that had not even seen peace for many, many years.

No one, not even Iroh or Mai, was worried when the glass was slowly emptied.

The party continued for another hour, until they decided to close the gates. Zuko and Mai had set up for those Aang had brought with him to sleep in their guest house. Aang, Katara, Iroh and everyone else actually had their own rooms in the south west wing of the palace.

Nobody noticed an insane smile beneath a cloak.

Zuko hadn't felt right since dinner, but he had assumed he had just eaten too much- they all had, even Sokka had admitted he couldn't finish it all. He hadn't been eating or sleeping much anyway- time for even the simplest things slips away from you when you're trying to rebuild a world.

He had ignored it, and enjoyed every second of this downtime. It was so nice to have moments like this, with Mai on his arm and his Uncle home for the week and his friends finally getting the break they all deserved. And he didn't regret not saying anything.

That is, until he and Mai headed back to their room for the night.

They had given the servants the night off after the party- after dinner, they even let them join them, saying that the cleaning could be taken care of tomorrow. Its not like the mess was going to get up and go anywhere.

He was undressing to slip into bed with Mai when his vision blurred. He stumbled, smacking his hand against the wall to catch himself from falling.

Mai looked up. "Zuko? Zuko, are you alright?" she started walking over to him, only to pick up her pace quickly. Her footsteps sounded muffled.

His stomach cramped and he slid down the wall to crouch on the floor. Mai was beside him, her arms around him to keep him from falling forward. She looked at his face, contorted with pain. "Zuko, what's wrong? What's happening?"

He opened his mouth to answer her, put darkness invaded his vision and clouded his mind.

He was out even before his head hit the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Second part of the story! Thank you everyone for the support, I really appreciate it! This took awhile to write because I wanted to make sure that everything was the way I wanted it, and I was conflicted over Zuko's outcome. Anyway, I hope everyone likes part two! Update on the fish: Iroh keeps stealing Zuko's food- he is not being a very nice uncle. Maybe he would stop if I poured tea in the tank?

*disclaimer: I do not own _Avatar: the Last Airbender_. Forgot the disclaimer the previous chapter. Whoops*

"Zuko! Zuko!"

Mai was shaking him, obviously terrified. He had completely lost consciousness, his eyes slipping closed and his breathing becoming labored.

She sunk down onto her knees to the floor with him, cradling his head. Shakily she put a hand to his forehead, testing its warmth. _He has a fever …_she thought bitterly, cursing herself for not knowing what was happening.

She tried to think back to anything that would have caused this. She raked through her memories of the night and came up with nothing. _Just calm down, everything is fine. He's fine. This is nothing to freak out over. _She took deep breaths and tried to reassure herself it was all okay.

She was calm for about three seconds before he stopped breathing.

"_Zuko!" _she slammed her palm into his chest, jolting his lungs and forcing them to fill with air again. She waited with baited breath as he exhaled again, wheezing and stuttering a little.

She had started crying now, something she hadn't done since…well she couldn't really recall the last time she had cried. Before the war, she was never allowed to show her emotions- after the war, there hadn't been a single reason to cry.

All that changed now as she held him close, her mind racing with a thousand different possibilities. "Please, Zuko, oh, please, Spirits, oh Agni, please…"

She never got to command him to stay with her because them the door to their room flew open so fast she thought it was going to fly off its hinges and spiral on the floor. Iroh, half dressed, blinked as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim light in their room.

Mai let out a sound like a strangled cry before she could stop herself. Iroh whipped his head back and forth, trying to locate them. They were in the sliver of flooring between the bed and the balcony door. Iroh gave up after a few seconds, realizing it was better to use his voice than his weaker eyesight.

"Zuko, you better not be doing anything that would be making Mai's parents upset! You may be the Fire Lord, but you can't go around doing whatever you want! Yes, the Fire Nation needs an heir, but not so soo-"

"_Iroh!" _Mai's voice came out. She must have sounded hurt, but she was really just scared. She needed his help.

"I'm fine, Iroh! Please, come over to the bed, I need help." The old general blinked, obviously confused. "What's going on, Mai? Where are you? Where's Zuko?"

She started to answer him, but cut herself short when she noticed Zuko's eyes fluttering. Her breath caught in her throat as they opened. His golden eyes were glazed over with pain. "Zuko? Zuko, honey, tell me what's wrong." Mai's voice shook a little as she tried to regain her composure. "I…have no…idea.." he managed to get out through gritted teeth. His eyes shut again and he moaned. Iroh was there then, hovering over them with a scared look on his face. Of course he was terrified- Zuko was really all he had left. It wasn't like he loved Zuko only because he was the Fire Lord and he wanted to get in on that- no, because even when Zuko was a banished prince, an Earth Kingdom refugee, and the firebending master to the Avatar, Iroh still thought of him as his second son.

And Mai never felt like she just wanted to be royalty, either. She loved Zuko with every fiber of her being. She loved him as the scared little boy when they were younger, she loved him as the angsty teenager, she loved him as the mature and loving Fire Lord. She loved seeing the times when he unleashed his gift as a firebender as much as she loved feeding turtleducks with him in the memory of his mother. It was _him _that she loved, not just the idea of who she wanted him to be, like his father had.

"What happened?" was all that Iroh could say as he sunk down to his knees next to his nephew. After testing his forehead the way that Mai had done, and finding the same result, he suddenly had an idea. "Katara…" he looked at Mai, who nodded with her understanding. Katara was a healer- she would know what was wrong…right? Mai silently prayed and prayed for every second that it took for Iroh to call a guard and ask them to send for Katara. For every second it took for Katara and Aang's hastened footsteps to reach them. For every labored breath Zuko took, her hand clutching his tighter and tighter.

The door flew open as the two raced in, ignoring the guards standing at the door. The room was alight now, thanks to Iroh, and they found the bundle of people huddled on the floor. Iroh was trying to get Zuko to drink water, but the Fire Lord could barely even breathe. Mai was whispering to him something incomprehensible, her hands clutching on to his like she could never hold him ever again. Maybe she wouldn't, for all that she knew. Katara was kneeling next to Mai immediately. Aang tried to reassure and comfort Iroh, who was crying now, begging Zuko not to leave. His desperation made everyone shocked- the Dragon of the West, crying over an eighteen-year-old. But this teenager was _his, _or at least he always considered him as so. Katara's hands, covered in glowing water, traced over his chest and stomach, trying to locate the source of his pain. Though Mai twinged with annoyance at this, she didn't say anything. Though she hated the idea of another woman's hands on her boyfriend, she knew that Katara wasn't going to take him away from her. She better not even think about it- Mai would get revenge even if it killed her. Besides, Katara had Aang.

Said Avatar gripped Iroh's shoulders as he sobbed quietly. Aang was a little paler than usual, but really, they all were. "Katara, what's wrong with him?" Mai finally couldn't take it anymore. She needed to know- _now._

Katara's eyes shut tightly and she took a deep breath. She turned her eyes to Mai, her eyes looking just as scared.

"Poison."

Mai nearly stopped breathing when she heard the single word slip past Katara's lips. Her heart dropped into her stomach and she became intensely aware of Zuko's pulse, thundering in his wrist. Zuko had lost consciousness again, and his uncle held his head in his lap, hiding his eyes. Tears streamed from his face as silent cries wracked his shoulders. Aang grit his teeth and his eyes overflowed with a thousand different emotions. All the same emotions that Mai was feeling- anger, guilt, worry, love and a thousand other feelings spiraling and colliding inside of her trying to find where they belonged. Eventually worry and anger took over, everything else taking a backseat in her heart. Fueled by the rage she had been forced to conceal all her life, she stood up, uttering one solid word that was resonating in everyone's mind.

"_Who?"_

After hours and hours of discussion, and Sokka and Toph joining them, they came up with only two people that would want Zuko dead- his sister and his father. They were the only ones who could possibly hate the Fire Lord, the only ones who could possibly feel resentment towards him and Aang ending the war. The only ones that were locked away at the end of Sozin's Comet's appearance, the only ones still evil enough to continue a hundred year war.

Zuko was in a state of unconsciousness and consciousness slipping toward and away from him again. His sleep was restless and pained, and his wakefulness was unaware and simply agony. The poison raced through his veins towards his heart every time that it beat. Katara used her forbidden skill, bloodbending, to keep the poison away from his heart by forcing it back into his stomach. It burned and seared like he had drank acid and he begged for it all to stop. Katara flinched every time she had to do it, every time that she had to cause him pain. But the world needed its Fire Lord, and they needed Zuko.

"Let's just go and kick the crap out them! They deserve it!" Toph thundered in rage. They stayed at Zuko's side, Katara doing her best to heal and Mai still holding on to his hand, sitting on the edge of the bed, refusing to let go. Her hands held his so tight that the skin had started to turn white. Iroh sat on the other side, his back to them, his hand gripping Zuko's shoulder. He wouldn't look at them, only tried in vain to hide his fear and sadness. Aang stood in the corner, his dark eyes downcast in a way that was uncharacteristically menacing. Like he was contemplating Toph's suggestion. Then he spoke up. "We can't just condemn Ozai and Azula for this. Not without knowing if they're guilty."

"Of course they're guilty! Who else would do this? Aang, you know better than anybody, except maybe Zuko himself, how awful Ozai is. You saw what he did to this world in your absence. He isn't above killing innocent women and children- why would he be above killing the son that took his throne?" Sokka retorted. Aang shrunk back into the shadows. "Why would you even try to defend him?" the familiar sentence hung in the air for a moment, then Sokka went too far. "Do you even care that he's dying?"

Aang's eyes twitched in the shadows and Toph grabbed Sokka's arm, feeling the shift in Aang's demeanor. "Sokka…" she whispered, before Aang snapped. "Of course I care! Why would you even think that I wouldn't? Do you think that I believe because I'm the Avatar I'm better than everyone else? That's not the case and you know it! Zuko is one of my best friends! DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT I WOULN'T CARE IF HE DIED?" Aang's tattoos began to glow, but Katara's voice brought him back. "Aang, we're all just worried and scared. We're all on the same side. We just need to figure out what the best thing to do is."

Her voice soothed the Avatar State and brought back the grey. "Sorry." Aang muttered. "I'm just…scared. Scared and angry. There have been few times that I have ever really….felt this way." Aang glanced over at Sokka, but did not apologize. Katara looked away and continued doing what she could. Zuko had been incoherent for the past two hours now, his breathing ragged and his face shining white with pallor and perspiration. Toph stood close enough to him so that she could feel his heart beating hesitantly, even through the blankets. Sokka was still shocked at Aang's outburst, his eyes slowly shifting between the Avatar and the Fire Lord. Aang still held a gaze to the floor, his head pounding with the question of what to do. Katara busied herself with moving poison from Zuko's heart, concerned for both him and herself under the steely eyes of Mai. Iroh had not moved or opened his eyes, only whispered so no one could hear- "_Please." _

Mai's mind was racing as she gripped his hand tighter. She had not been apart of Team Avatar when they took down Zuko's dad, but she could feel the strong bond between the five of them. A bond that she was not apart of, and one she never would be apart of. Her bond with Zuko was really the only one she had. She fizzled away from her family, something she felt she should have done a long time ago. They had imprisoned her in her own mind, their barriers from emotions like the lake at the Boiling Rock. She was not going to lose Zuko. Not again.

"I'm going to _slaughter them." _Mai's dark voice, full of emotion, came through the thick tension in the room. Aang turned to her, bewildered. She stood up and faced him, staring down a fully realized Avatar. "I don't care if they're guilty of this or not. I realized that was they did to their own family is still just flat-out unacceptable. It's not okay. Human beings or not, they're going to pay." Aang grit his teeth, eyebrows narrowing his eyes to angry slits. Mai expected the slits to start glowing again, to have to draw a dart to put through the Avatar's head. But it never came. "Fine," He said bitterly, "but I refuse to be apart of this."

Mai glanced at him. She didn't know if she should thank him or sneer at him. She did neither, just turned to Sokka. "Are you coming?" He met her gaze, then looked at Zuko. He was still pale, his face scrunched up in pain from Katara moving the poison into his gut. His sister had a guilty look on her face, like she would never be able to make it up to him. "Count me in."

Toph could feel Zuko's spastic heartbeat, fluttering one moment and pounding the next. It was terrifying to feel, especially for someone you really cared about. And Toph really did care about Zuko. He was like her older brother. He treated her like a warrior, like the fighter her parents had never thought their blind daughter could be. And that wasn't the only reason. She realized how much his uncle loved him. He was all that Iroh had, he was all that Iroh knew. And she cared about Iroh, someone who gave her some of the best advice she had ever heard. "I'm coming too. You'll need a bender."

Mai nodded, not realizing Toph couldn't see it. She was a firestorm of rage for the man that had once led her nation, the man who she had once pledged her allegiance to. Rage for the hellion of a girl that used to be her best friend.

"Let's go tear them apart." Mai slammed the door behind them, blinded by her fury.

It wasn't hard to get to Ozai and Azula. They had been imprisoned together, locked in adjacent cells. The guards let Mai in without hesitation. One of them asked "Was it really them that tried to kill Fire Lord Zuko?" Mai hoped so. Mai hoped that she hadn't made the worst mistake of her life. "Yes. It was them."

The guard nodded, then she grinned. "Make sure they burn like hot tea." Mai brushed off the comment, her focus on the door. Before opening it, she paused. Sokka and Toph lingered behind her- they had agreed to do this Mai's way, because they knew she would spare no amount of pain for Ozai and Azula. Hovering outside the door, she took a breath. "Release them into the prison yard. Just them. No one else." The guards did as they were told, opening the gates to their cells. They crawled out like spiders, searching for the warmth of the sun.

They were so relived to see daylight that they didn't notice the way it winked off a usually concealed blade. Mai made quick work of Ozai. She didn't feel like talking to him, it was really Azula that she wanted. She wanted a confession, she wanted her to die knowing that Mai hated her, she wanted her to die knowing that she caused her brother so much pain. Toph's earthbending muted Azula's screams over her father's body, containing her in its grip. Mai jumped down from the yard's wall, landing heavily with the weight of jealousy and hatred of fifteen years living in a shadow.

"I don't understand why he can't just vomit it up." Aang's voice came, bitterness gone, still trying to learn the basics of healing. "It would be great if he could- that's the way that most poison is cured." Katara answered. "But in this case, when he did, it would burn his throat so badly to the point where it would constrict and cut off his air, which I could do nothing about." Her hands moved over his abdomen. "I can feel the burning of the poison even like this." Aang's eyes lowered again, then glanced meaningfully at Zuko. "Come on, Sifu Hotman. If there's one thing we know about you, it's that you don't give up without a fight."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Iroh lifted his eyes.

Mai stared Azula down, the wild and crazy eyes of the former princess trying to burn her soul. But they couldn't, because Mai's wall had been built. The stoic face that she had mastered, the boredom she had perfected. Then she broke the rule that her parents had always enforced the greatest. She spoke. "You're a selfish, spoiled little brat, you know that?" Azula's eyes narrowed, but she couldn't say a thing. "You always thought that because you were royalty, because you were a firebending prodigy, everyone had to worship you at your feet. That's not true. I never did, even though it seemed like it. I was your companion because you were my friend, because I wanted to live a better life through you."

"But that day at the Boiling Rock, when you wanted to kill your own brother…I love him, Azula. Even through it didn't seem like I did at the time, I loved him with everything I had in my heart- all the emotion I could ever muster was love for him. That's why I betrayed you. Because you threatened to kill the man I love with all my heart."

"I hated you for throwing me in prison, but I hated what you did to Zuko after even more. Shooting lightning at him, trying to kill your own brother? Zuko wouldn't have ever done that to you, and you know it. You _know _it. He wanted to love you as best he could, but having a monster like you as a sister just made that impossible."

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang's worried voice broke through her concentration. "His body is…rejecting my healing!" Katara stuttered out, barely able to contain the flurry of emotions that hit her all at once. "He's…" she couldn't get out the word "dying" for all the gold pieces in the world.

"And now this? Azula, Zuko is the Fire Lord. He's the best damn leader your country has seen in years, and you had to try to kill him? He's your brother, the person who is the most like you in the world, and you had to try you kill him? I _love him, _and you had to _try to kill him?"_

Mai smiled then, a twisted, sick idea forming in her head. One sure to make Azula hate herself. "What I don't understand is why? Why would you do it? You know the consequences."

Azula recognized the familiar retort. The girl's eyes flashed with so many different sparks- anger, hatred, pride, envy, so many negative emotions all fighting for power.

But in the end, only one won out- fear.

Azula whispered, "Daddy made me do it."

Mai still put an arrow through her skull.

"He's…gone." Katara held Zuko's wrist, feeling for the nonexistent pulse. Tears blurred her vision and Aang gripped her shoulders, tears already falling down his cheeks in mourning. "Zuko…" his voice shook, then he started sobbing, Katara pushing her face into him, trying to dry her tears. Iroh still couldn't say a word as Mai opened the door, with her two companions at her side. She looked cold, like ice had coated her heart. It soon gave way to a passionate fire, when she realized that Zuko was dead.

"No…no…no…" was all she could get out as she held his lifeless body, trying to convince herself that it was all just a dream. She cried for an eternity, not even bothering to see that she wasn't the only one. After a long, long time, she let him go, placing him back on the bed, and shutting eyes that used to be like the sun itself. She hated the fact that he had died with his eyes open, but hated the fact that she wasn't even holding his hand more.

At last, Iroh spoke. His voice was raspy from crying, sobbing like no tomorrow. Wisdom of someone who had been though this before, the wisdom of someone who has lived and died inside every single day since then, had the one thing that kept Mai going.

"At least he taught you how to feel."

Author's Note: A friend of mine is getting mad because I keep killing of Zuko and giving her the feels. Once again, thank you everyone, and keep your eyes open for the publishing of my next one-shot, "What a Shame!"


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